Carrollton Newman Smith head coach Paul Ressa said he has to walk a fine line preparing his football players to compete on the field with heavy hearts.

The Trojans dropped their Aug. 29 season opener, 34-17, to the McKinney North Bulldogs less than three months after team captain and starting nose tackle Jaquis Jones died in a drowning accident on Lake Lewisville.

The team also went without starting safety Kalen Berry, who is undergoing treatment for a cancer diagnosis he received in August.

Ressa said his team played as hard as it could given the circumstances, heading into the fourth quarter down only 17-10. But he admitted the offseason news weighed heavily on his team’s performance in the opener.

“Football was not the No. 1 priority for us on Thursday,” Ressa said. “We were just emotionally spent.”

The Newman Smith coaching staff has paid careful attention to the emotional needs of the squad, Ressa said. The team’s preparation for the season had to be balanced with life lessons on dealing with tragedy and other support mechanisms, he added.

When the team convened in August for fall practice; the players and coaches took a trip to visit Jones’ gravesite. The trip offered some closure, Ressa said, but the grieving process continues.

Although the Trojan defense struggled to take advantage of 13 Bulldog offensive penalties for 95 yards, several players had impressive performances.

Trojan running back Davonte Galbert was sharp on limited carries, needing only 12 attempts to rush for 67 yards and a touchdown. Wide receiver Keelan Stone scored the team’s other touchdown through the air, catching seven passes for 92 yards and adding another 13 yards on a run.

Newman Smith took on Little Elm on Sept. 5. For results, visit dallasnews.com/sports/high-schools.

“They can be as great as they want to be,” Ressa said of his team. “We’re going to be very, very competitive every game, and we see ourselves as a playoff team.”

But the emotional healing his players seek, he said, will have to come with time.

Neighborsgo reporter Daniel Houston can be reached at 214-977-8024.

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